Non-volatile memories normally comprise a memory plane equipped with memory cells capable of storing data.
The reading of the data stored in the memory plane is performed by a read amplifier, operating at the rate of a clock signal, usually generated by an analogue oscillator circuit.
Memories are increasingly dense, operating frequencies increase, and energy consumption is minimized.
Consequently, the generation of the clock signal is subject to increasingly stringent reliability, precision and performance constraints.
Different types of oscillator circuits furthermore exist, such as, for example, ring oscillator circuits.
Although a ring oscillator is generally simple to implement, it is generally little used for generating a clock signal. In fact, it is relatively unstable, for example in response to variations due to manufacturing methods.
Moreover, ring oscillators generally require a stabilization time before supplying a stable oscillating signal, thereby delaying the start, the restart or a synchronization of the oscillating signal.